Bedtime Stories
by 1221bookworm
Summary: Gen tells assorted children a bedtime story that is part fairy tale and part autobiography. Originally written for a fic challenge over on LiveJournal for the prompt "Fairy Tales." One Shot.


**_A/N: I don't own the QT universe or characters, or the Aladdin story. I only own the stories I make up while waiting to see Gen confront the Mede elephants._**

 ** _This is something I wrote a long time ago for a challenge over on LiveJournal for the challenge "Fairy Tales." I figured I would post it here, too. Hope you enjoy!_**

Eugenides was sitting on a couch in Eddis' library, on an "official" trip with his family. He was waiting for Irene to put their 3 year old twins, Genine and Aurora, to bed. His solitude was interrupted when the door from the bedroom opened, and two little nightgowns ran across the room to him.

"Tell us a story, Papa!" Genine demanded, climbing into Gen's lap. Aurora quickly followed. "A bedtime story," she insisted.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Gen asked.

"No, Mama said you could tell us a story!" Genine replied.

"A short one," Irene said as she sat down next to him. Aurora climbed into Irene's lap as the library door opened.

Helen came in with her 2 year old son, Phidipedes. "We just came to say goodnight," Helen informed them.

"Papa's telling stories!" Aurora announced.

"Story! Story!" Phidipedes climbed into Gen's lap too.

"What story do you want, Bunny?" Gen asked. Phidipedes just shrugged and curled closer to Gen, sucking his thumb.

"An adventure story," Genine said.

I want a fairy tale with princesses!" Aurora protested.

"I have just the story to satisfy you both.

 _This story is about a street urchin, Aladdin. Now Aladdin earned his livelihood as a thief, and was quite a good one, I might add."_

"Did you teach him?" Genine interrupted.

"Teach Aladdin?" Gen chuckled. "No, I didn't. He lived a very long time ago."

"Well how were we supposed to know?" Aurora exclaimed, "you didn't start your story 'Once upon a time long ago and faraway'!"

"I'm sorry," Gen replied, "Let me know if I mess anything else up. Anyway,

 _Aladdin spent his days in the same city as the Sultan, who lived with his daughter, Jasmine. Jasmine was quite frustrated with her life as a princess, always being told what, where, how and when to do anything. So one day she managed to slip  
out of the palace unnoticed, and walked anonymous through the streets."_

Phidipedes tugged on Gen's sleeve. "Anny-one-mouse?" he asked.

Gen laughed. "It's anonymous, Bunny. It means nobody recognized her."

"Oh." Phidipedes went back to sucking his thumb.

"Papa will never be able to finish with all these interruptions," Irene chided. Gen continued.

 _"_ _Out in the city she met Aladdin and his pet monkey, Abu. Aladdin showed Jasmine around the city, and Jasmine enjoyed herself greatly. Although he didn't know it yet, Aladdin had stolen her heart."_

"Is this a fairy tale, or an autobiography?" Irene asked.

"You've never heard the story of Aladdin?"

"This doesn't sound like the story I know," Irene eyed Gen warily.

"You must never have heard the Eddisian version, then," Gen replied.

"More like the Eddisian Thieves' version," Helen whispered to Irene.

"I heard that."

"Papa, keep going!" Genine insisted.

"Where was I? Oh yes, well,

 _Eventually it came to the attention of Jafar, an advisor to the Sultan, who wore too much hair oil, dyed his beard red, and greased it to two points,"_ Irene blushed. _"that Aladdin was an accomplished thief. He lured Aladdin to a cave where only a 'Diamond in the Rough' could enter."_

"Diamonds don't walk!" Genine exclaimed. She wasn't the least bit sleepy.

"It's an expression."

"What does it mean?"

Gen sighed, "It means someone who isn't all perfect, but isn't all bad either. Now Hush!

 _Aladdin was told not to touch anything in the cave, which was filled with wealth beyond compare. A magic carpet took him deep inside the cave where a magic lamp sat on a pedestal. Aladdin had been told to fetch the lamp and bring it to Jafar, waiting outside. With the lamp in his hand, before he had reached the entrance, Aladdin's hand brushed a ruby, and the entire cave came tumbling down on his head._

 _Sitting in the dark, Aladdin examined the lamp in his hands. As he shifted it between his hands, he rubbed it, and a Genie came swooshing out of the lamp."_

"What did it look like?" Genine asked.

"Like a genie. Use your imagination!" Gen retorted. Irene was going to be angry if this story took forever and the girls didn't go to bed on time. He decided to pick the pace up a bit.

 _"_ _Well, Genie offered Aladdin 3 wishes, and Aladdin was tempted to use one of them to get out of the cave, but, using his wit instead, he decided to talk the Genie into taking him outside without using a wish. Aladdin promised the Genie that on his last wish, he would set the Genie free from the lamp to explore the world. Once outside, Aladdin wished to be the richest prince in the world in order to be able to woo Jasmine, because he found himself in love with her. Creating the identity,_ it means new name and  
personality, Bunny, _of Prince Ali Ababa, he convinced the Sultan to let him woo Jasmine. Jasmine did not like Prince Ali, because her heart was already lost to Aladdin, and she didn't know they were one and the same._

"That's the problem with false identities you know," Gen added to Helen and Irene, "If you use a false identity you have to keep up with it, or reveal who you really are."

"You would be the expert," Helen agreed.

 _"_ _Now it came to Jafar's attention that Prince Ali Ababa was really Aladdin. Since Jafar wanted to marry the princess for her position and power, he did not like the idea of competing with a trumped up street urchin. Aladdin had to use his second wish from the genie to rescue himself from drowning when Jafar threw him into the ocean. Jafar took the magic lamp from Aladdin and started making his own wishes come true. When Aladdin returned, Jafar had imprisoned the sultan and Jasmine as slaves, and Aladdin was forced to rescue her from Jafar's evil clutches. Unfortunately, Jafar did not play fair and captured Aladdin and was ready to kill him, screaming that he had the most power in the world. Aladdin was afraid that he would have to use his last wish to save his own life when he decided to play on Jafar's vanity, which became Jafar's downfall._

 _'_ _You're wrong!' Aladdin shouted, 'The genie has more power than you!'_

 _Now Jafar had just one wish left, and he used it to become a genie, but he discovered something very important too late: genies are tied to a lamp, and their power  
only comes from granting wishes."_

"Proving the importance of thinking before you act?" Helen asked innocently.

"You're being a bad example," Gen corrected, "save your commentaries 'till I'm done."

"My apologies."

"Good.

 _Now that Jafar was stuck in the lamp, Aladdin was able to throw him off a cliff and deep into the ocean, and luckily, he was never heard from again. Since he had already rescued Jasmine from the evil Jafar's clutches, all that was left to do was reassure Jasmine that he really was the Aladdin who had stolen her heart oh so long ago, and have her ask her father if she could still marry him, even if he was a pauper. The Sultan, seeing Aladdin's love and devotion toward his daughter, agreed to the match. Aladdin used his last wish to free Genie from the lamp, and then got to marry Jasmine, where they lived happily ever after!"_

"Nice story, Papa," Genine mumbled sleepily, "but I think you skipped all the action," she added around a yawn.

"I'll give you a blow by blow account tomorrow," Gen promised.

"I liked it Papa, it was sweet," Aurora added as Irene stood to collect the girls and bring them to bed.

There was a quiet knock on the door, and Sophos stuck his head in. "I was wondering what happened to you," he remarked to Helen.

"Gen was telling the children his life story."

"Really, and I missed it?" Sophos sounded disappointed.

"Don't listen to her," Gen replied, "it was a fairy tale."

"I'll give you all the details later," Helen assured Sophos, taking Bunny and leaving with a quick goodnight.

"Did you like my story?" Gen asked Irene when she returned and sat down beside him.

"It was fine. I especially liked the description of the villain." Irene said wryly.

"I thought you would. Did you like what happened to him too? If only I could do that in real life."

"Don't worry about Nahuseresh, he's too unpleasant to think about right now."

"All right," Gen replied.

"It was a very nice story, and I'm glad you came out of storytelling retirement for the girls. They really enjoy it."

"My pleasure."


End file.
